Dogs, Sheep, and More Sheep

We spent our initial waking hours getting situated for our first day of riding: packing up, gearing up, breakfasting up, and nerving up (me). We were ready, after two lovely nights at the Frenchville House B&B run by the very charming Pam and Tony and their four dogs. Here is Heidi-dog waiting with me for our pick-up from West Ireland Cycling.

John arrived early and loaded our gear for a 40-minute car ride to our starting point in Cong, home of Ashford Castle and Cong Abbey. Despite the overview and maps John provided, I still had to ask Now which way do we turn when we leave this parking lot?  

We took a cursory ride around the abbey and castle grounds but were anxious to get going so soon found ourselves riding on a forest path, bumping over tree roots and rocks. Not my customary type of riding but I’d been briefed, and it was only a few km, not to mention magical. After emerging from the forest path, we made our way to Clonbar, then Finny, then the Joyce area, and finally to our hotel in Leenane.   

Here’s some of what we saw:

Lots and lots of sheep. The color coding indicates who owns them, as most grazing areas are shared among several sheep farms. Play the video to hear some lively sheep talk.

 

 

 

Stacked stone walls separating land plots, and the remains of stone houses occupied back-in-the-day  by land-workers or land-owners.

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce Country Sheepdog training where we met Joe, who explained about sheep farming, dog training, and EU farm subsidies. Joe’s house overlooks Lach Na Fooey from the base of a steep hillside upon which some of his sheep graze (most graze across the lach on the opposite hillside) His border-collies-in-training hang out in enclosures adjacent to Joe’s house (newly built around 2008 with a gorgeous stone fascia).

After Joe freed one of the dogs for a demonstration, she sprinted up that hillside toward a small group of sheep. Following Joe’s quietly uttered commands, she herded them downward, through a small break in a stone wall, over toward where we stood watching, and finally into a small corral where she stared them down for 15 minutes or more as Joe finished his talk.

After this entertainment, we made our way to Leenane and checked into the Leenane Hotel, clearly a popular watering spot for the locals. We fought our way to the bar to acquire two pints of Smithwick's on tap, a standout so far in our sampling of Irish beers.

Today’s weather couldn’t have been better: clear and cool and breezeless. Rain is on the way, however, and we’re hoping it’s manageable for tomorrow’s long ride.